The First Time
by Fezzes64
Summary: Princess Peach of the Mushroom Kingdom visits the Earth to go to school, and suddenly, everything in the prophecy comes into action. People from all over the galaxy come for her birthday, she meets all the seven people of legend, and she meets a boy named Mario...An unusually kind boy who seems to like her...and has her same abilities...What does this mysterious prophecy mean?
1. Prologue: Who's he?

The First Time

Prologue: Who's he?

"Bye, mom!" I shouted. I was about to be late for my first day of eighth grade. Correction, first day of school _entirely_.

"Wait, dear," my mom said calmly. "It's way too early. Daisy and Rosalina will be here soon, so just wait for them."

I sighed. I knew it was early, but isn't it better to be early than right on time? Besides, I needed a tour. Rosalina claimed she knew the school by heart, and that would be great for me, since I had never been to school before. Suddenly, the door burst open.

"Peach! How are you?" Daisy shouted in greeting.

"Um, fine thanks…" I muttered.

Daisy and Rosalina were princesses like me. Daisy was a short-haired brunette with lively brown eyes that had a spark of adventure whenever she got excited, which was usually always.

Rosalina was more of a calming type, who was an expert at calling for peace. She was a blonde who had bangs that covered one eye, which hid one of her bright, electric-color pools.

"We had better get going; we need a tour for our thirteen-year old prodigy," Rosalina joked.

"Oy, that's enough. I want to go _now_," I said.

"Wait…what are you wearing?" Daisy asked.

I looked down. I was wearing my usual attire, a pink T-shirt that said 'Yeah. I play like a girl. Jealous?', and darker pink shorts.

"Athletic clothes. Why?" I replied.

Daisy looked at me disapprovingly.

"Hey, you can't blame me," I said. "I have athletics first period."

Rosalina peered at my schedule.

"So why do you have it in the boys' gym?" she inquired.

Daisy snatched it from her.

"_Lucky_…" she trailed off.

"Girls," my mom teased.

We all turned to her while she tapped her watch. Before I knew it, we were out of the castle and down the pipe, through the woods, and down the street, looking at Lilac Middle School, complete with all sorts of people, what they call homework, and teachers.

I literally stopped in awe as I noticed the garden, the pillars, and all the many windows. I knew that this moment, this day, would probably involve having the time of my life.

"Hello, ladies," said an unfamiliar voice behind me.


	2. Chapter 1: Ashley

Chapter 1: Ashley

"Oh, hey, Mario!" said Daisy.

Rosalina nodded in greeting. The girl in pink just stood there looking at her friends like they were crazy. It was a little berserk expression that made her appear like she just ate a lemon.

"And who might this be?" I asked kindly.

The girl in pink blushed a bit before saying "Ashley."

I smiled. Girls these days usually get nervous around me when all I'm trying to do is be friendly (Does anybody else have this problem?). Sometimes it's cute, but other times it gets annoying. This was one of those times when it gets cute. I actually surprised myself by trying to describe her.

She had yellow-blonde hair, bright, sky-blue eyes, and of course, her athletic clothes. I wondered if this was the rumored girl going into boys' athletics.

Daisy turned around so she was facing me fully and returned my smile.

"This is the new girl. I've been friends with P-…_Ashley _for as long as I can remember." She said.

Rosalina nodded again in agreement.

I bowed my head.

"I'll leave you girls alone for now. You probably need to give Ashley here a tour," I said teasingly before walking across the street to find some of my buddies.

First, there was Nathan, who was an ideal athlete with some brains as well as a heart. He had black ear-length hair, bright green eyes, and that little sparkle in his pale face that proves that he was ready for adventure.

Then, there was Madz, a dear friend of mine who is my only female buddy. She had dirty-blonde hair, icy-blue eyes that appeared to shift whenever you look at her, and a strange liking for fiction. She wore her famous red hoodie and had her hair in a ponytail today, but was a serious runner like me.

"Hey, Mario," she said when I came up to them.

"Hey, Maddie, what's up?" I asked.

She eyed me suspiciously. "I'm wondering why are you're talking to the new girl," she said, almost accusingly.

I put up my hands in defense.

"Excuuuse me, princess, but I don't think there's a law stating that I can't try to be nice to new people."

Nathan shook his head.

"You guys, bickering again. Should I bring her group over here?" he teased.

"Perhaps," I said slowly.

Madz just laughed. She often did that when she realized something ironic or sarcastic.

"What is it with you and 'indeed', and 'perhaps'?" she asked.

I shrugged. I usually said that, only because it distinguished me from other people. By now, the school had me known as 'that boy who says weird stuff', because I only revealed my name to friends.

Suddenly, I noticed Rosalina and Ashley walk past us. Nathan, Madz, and I all turned at the same time to see that Ashley seemed really nervous for some reason. She kept shooting glances around her, and whenever someone met her eyes, she stared at the ground. Rosalina was trying to tell her something, and kept gesturing to people. Finally, Daisy showed up and let them in the building with one of the teachers' permission.

It was a bit late for a tour, since school was about to start up in ten minutes. Maybe Rosalina was just going to show where Ashley's classes were. Madz suddenly looked back at me with an expression that read "You do realize you have to help her out, right?" I just smiled. Sure, I was going to help her, but my new aim was to find out if she was friend material.

When school started, I was already sitting in my role-call spot, where I reported so the coach could make sure we were all there. I looked up at the wall where there was a picture of our school mascot, the lion. It sound kind of funny, being a lilac lion, but the lion isn't purple; it's actually tan.

The coach called for attention, and revealed Ashley who was somewhat trying to hide behind him. She cautiously stepped out from behind him, and gave a small wave. The coach must have realized something, because he then said, "Now, boys. Please be nice to Ashley, because she is _new_ here, and I'm going to give her a few more choices than I give to you. Thank you; now get out on the track."

I jogged out; glad we finally got to go outside; as the coach never really did that on the first day. I noticed that Ashley kept trying to stay away from everyone as if touching them would burn her pale skin.

The coach started directing us into lanes. We were going in heats of five for some reason today, and when I looked ahead, I realized that we were doing hurdles. Was coach really going to do that to Ashley? I soon got my answer.

"Mario, lane one, Ashley, lane two, Logan, lane three, Michael, lane four, and Lewis, lane five," the coach instructed.

We set up in our lanes and got ready to run. All the rest of the separate heats kept whispering and pointing at Ashley, probably making it unnerving. Annoyed, I swiveled around and said "Hush! Just watch!"

This made them go silent.

"Ready?" coach started. "You're only going for one lap. Go!"

And we were off.

I decided to stay at Ashley's pace, just to see how fast she could go, and jumped as perfectly in sync with her as possible. She sprinted at the beginning, much like I would do, and slowed down ever so slightly after the first hundred meters. She glanced to the side at me, and looked away as I met her gaze.

Surprisingly enough, she went as fast as I usually did. This kept me up and alert, rather than just flat out bored when I was racing boys who were way behind me. I then suddenly took in that as soon as I relaxed, we were taking the exact same stride, jumps, and even falters. We even started sprinting at the same, precise moment when it came time.

I think were really trying to lose each other, because we sped up faster and faster, until we reached the finish line. We slowed to a stop, and, panting for breath, looked up at each other, both our eyes showing mixed confusion and admiration.

"Finally," I said. "A challenge."

**Hello, guys, this is Fezzes64, and my first story. Please take it easy on me, because this is the best idea for a story so far. **

**I do not own Mario, or any of his characters for that matter. I don't own any song that I will mention in the future, either. I will try to make my chapters as long as possible, if they are satisfactory. **

**I'm not going to ask you to review, because you probably won't listen to me anyway. Whether you want to state your opinion or not is up to you. :D Hope you like it!**

**~Fezzes64**


	3. Chapter 2: Mario

Chapter 2: Mario

I found it odd that I had met my match, and he had apparently met his, too. In his casual clothes, when I saw him earlier, he didn't appear an athlete, but now in athletic clothes, he was pure long distance runner. He had short brown hair, which in his school clothes he kept under a bright red cap, a basic muscle tone, and what made him so intriguing to me were his eyes, a deep, night-sky blue. I had decided on calling it celestial-blue.

He was about an inch taller than me, which was somewhere around five feet. I knew that he was probably going to tell the whole school, which I didn't want, but it wouldn't hurt to be a little famous. Ashley, the girl who can keep up with Mario sounded okay, except I wondered why I chose 'Ashley'. Why not 'Rachel', or 'Brianna'? I guess it was just the first name that came to mind, since I doubted many people went by 'Peach' on Earth.

Nevertheless, I was stuck with it.

Mario and I walked back to the gym where the coach (I only know him as 'the coach') told us to go someplace outside the center of the gym so he could explain what the first sports this year were.

"Lady, and gentlemen, I am proud to say that the beginning of the year will hold three sports, one of which will go on to next semester as well. As of now, we have American Football, Volleyball, and Track! You can go in two each, unless there are special circumstances. Now, there are three coaches, I coach football, Coach Lewis does Track, and Coach Willow does Volleyball. Today, I will let you choose your sport, or sports, and allow you to socialize and get to know your teammates. Thank you."

I stood up and immediately went to Coach Lewis, since Track was by far my favorite on the list. Walking up to him, I noticed he was on the old side, not too old, but noticeably aged…however experienced. He smiled at me as I came up to him.

"Okay, Ashley, you're already taken care of. If you want to go to another sport, you are free to do so," he said.

I already liked him. Quick, easy, and nice.

I nodded to him and looked around. Football sounded somewhat fun, but the boys would probably snap me like a twig. I considered going into Volleyball, but I didn't know how to play. I sat down on one of the benches, pondering for a moment, before I noticed girls' athletics run through from outside to get to the other gym.

Daisy, Rosalina, and an unfamiliar girl with dirty-blonde hair waved at me. I gave a shy wave back, but wondered who the other girl was. Interrupting my train of thought, Coach Willow motioned me over.

"Hello, Ashley," she said. "I would like to put you in Volleyball, but that will be up to you. Do you want to?"

I looked at her for a minute, studying her short size.

"What if I don't know how to play?" I asked slowly.

She kept her dark-brown gaze on me. I thought she would say something like "Well, I'm sorry, because you can't play," but instead she gestured to the other coaches, and then herself.

"Don't worry. That's why we're here."

With that thought in mind, I went in to the girls' room to get dressed when the bell rang, and went off to second period.

This room was upstairs in the first hall, all the way down. Second period was something called 'Humanities', with Mrs. Williams, and the moment I walked in, I noticed that the blonde girl from earlier was there.

She waved at me again, almost excitedly, and patted the seat next to her. I thought for about two seconds before I shrugged and walked over. When I sat down, after putting my binder in the desk, I turned to face her. The first thing I noticed was her intense, ice-blue eyes. Had eyes had the ability to burn, my brain would have holes in it within thirty seconds.

"Hi," she said. "My name is Maddie. You're _Ashley_, right?"

I nodded.

"I'm a good friend of Rosalina's, and she's told me about you. Also, I saw you running with Mario. I thought that was flat out amazing. Oh, yeah, call me Madz. That's what all my friends do."

She nodded as if to urge me on. I nodded back.

"Good morning, class. As you probably know, we have a new student named Ashley, so please welcome her properly. Now we have to start with Ancient Greece and your new essential questions as seen on the board, blah, blah, blah." Mrs. Williams seemed almost as bored with this as we were.

"Now, the book project is a whole different matter. You have to get three other partners and read the same book, and record yourself doing a talk show with your friends about what the world thinks of this book as if it's the most popular. I'll leave you to it as your first big assignment, but tomorrow we'll start something else."

This got my attention. Madz waved her hand in the air.

"Mrs. Williams? Can we get partners from other periods?" she asked.

Mrs. Williams seemed to consider this. Eventually, she nodded. Madz nearly jumped out of her seat in excitement.

"Ashley, I know the perfect partners for us. I know it'll be just great. We can meet at one of our houses and come up with what book we're reading, and when we finish, we'll do our talk show!" she explained.

I smiled. I found Madz the I-like-to-get-overexcited type, yet it wasn't bad because the way her things were organized, it appeared that she got good grades, so it was basically allowed.

Madz and I brainstormed about what book to read, and I found her _very_ easy to work with. She was flexible on ideas, owned a large store of her own ideas, and was agreeable as well. I realized that maybe she could be a friend after all.

Next, there was Social studies, with Ms. Mason, where I met up with Rosalina and remembered that we were studying Texas only because Lilac middle school was in Austin, Texas. Then, there was English with Mrs. Alexander, where Daisy, Mario and Madz were. There was Math, Science, and I had to be a library aid by helping sort out books, and finally, Orchestra with Mr. Powell.

I couldn't find the room, and I found it kind of awkward that I was standing in the middle of the hall looking blankly at my schedule. Someone tapped my shoulder from behind, making me jump in surprise. I whirled around and saw Mario standing next to me, a concerned look crossing his face.

"Are you lost or something?" he asked.

I looked to the ground and nodded sheepishly.

"I know where this is," he said suddenly.

I looked up again to see him peering over my shoulder at my schedule.

"C'mon, I'll show you."

He unexpectedly tugged on my arm gently, in a friendly sort of way to a hallway near the gym.

"B-but won't you be late?" I asked, still somewhat surprised.

He just smiled and shook his head. This just confused me. How could he not be late? There was a minute to the bell! Unless… He gestured to a door labeled 'Orchestra', and below it was 'Mr. Powell'.

Mario opened the door, and came in behind me. I noticed Mr. Powell getting ready with some music. I turned my attention back to Mario who was apparently having fun with this. My suspicions were correct.

"You have Orchestra last period too?" I asked.

He nodded gleefully. I sighed, a smile teasing my face. So far, 'competitive' and 'helpful' were the words I used to describe Mario so far. What else did he have in store?

Getting my viola ready, I noticed that on the seating chart, that I sat up in the front row, and next to me was Mario, and so was Madz, who was also a violist. Apparently Mario was a cellist. Mr. Powell handed out a few music pieces before beginning his introduction.

"Hello, everyone, and welcome to the highest and most experienced orchestral group in LMS. Our new student's name is Ashley, and it is surprising that we have a new student in the highest group. We welcome her with open arms, nevertheless, and now, to study our pieces. These will be played in the concert taking place two weeks from Friday, so make sure you practice. Now, let's tune."

This fascinated me. He took notice of me and actually acknowledged that I had never been in an orchestra class before. I tuned myself, and set to work on practicing the pieces that we were doing. They were most likely the easiest pieces I have ever seen; 'Contredanse (French)', 'Shadow Dance (Richard Meyer)', and 'Petite Overture (Elliot Del Borgio)', all of which became my favorite.

I went back home with Daisy and Rosalina after school ended, still confused. We went through the pipe that was hidden in the forest, and strolled back to my castle, content, and free of homework since it was the first day. We all slept in the same room at night so we could stay up later than usual to talk about random things. I was so glad I had friends that I could ask for help, because if I didn't, I wouldn't have gone to school in the first place.

**Hey, this is Fezzes64 again. I'm going to try to update as soon as possible for each chapter, so yeah. Um…Thanks for reading this, and I know that it can be a hassle sometimes…Oh, yeah, Hi, DeathViolinist! For those who don't know, this is going to be an attempt at an adorable romance between Mario and Peach, so, please bear with me until I get in line with this whole thing, so Thank you!**

**~Fezzes64**


	4. Chapter 3: Nikki

Chapter 3: Nikki

When I woke up the next morning, I heard the usual hustling and bustling of my sisters and brother refusing to get up, and our mother laughing as she blew an air horn. She never tried to wake me; she considered me the most mature along with my twin sister, Marianna, who slept in the other room next to mine. It was really just Luigi and Gina who needed help.

I sat up in my red-sheeted bed, watching the birds enjoy the birdbath outside. I was glad that we lived in this one spot, it was right across from the school, so we didn't have to get up particularly early. I stood up, and did the usual morning procedure, getting up, dressed, and everything else. I stepped out of my bedroom door at the same time Marianna did, and we smiled.

"It's a whole new day, with school, homework and that new girl," Marianna said.

I nodded in agreement. Marianna and I were as close as twins that we never fought; we always finished each other's sentences; and we had the exact same thinking process. The only difference was that I was slightly more boyish, and she was slightly more girlish.

Marianna and I finished getting ready and when Luigi and Gina finally came out, our father talked to us.

"Ok, Mario's, let's-a go, and make this an amazing day! Remember, Mario brothers and Mario sisters, we only live once, so don't make it something to regret!"

Our father only said this every day to tease Luigi, who was a bit on the grumpy side this morning.

"It should be the 'Luigi brothers'," he muttered under his breath.

I beckoned them all after laughing silently at Luigi's comment.

"Indeed. Let's-a go to school."

It was a very long trip to school (across the street) and we were all gasping to catch our breath as soon as we got there (acting out a Romeo and Juliet scene when Romeo has to run for his life) and once I spotted Madz, I walked over with Marianna to see her.

"Mario," she said excitedly. "You'll never guess who came this year, too."

I lifted my brow as if to ask "Who else do we know?" Madz took a deep breath, calming herself, and said as softly as she could manage, "Nikki."

My mouth just dropped open. Nikki?! Nikki was in our quartet of friends in elementary school, and she was the only person in our group, made up of Madz, Marianna, herself, and I, whose name didn't start with 'M'. I had missed her so much when she went to Cerulean middle school. It was odd to be a Lilac Lion while she was a Cerulean Caracal.

Madz pointed in a random direction and we all turned to see Nikki talking with Ashley. I knew that both Marianna's and I's expressions lit up, because Madz smiled.

"Let's go see her." she said.

The only thing I could manage to say was "Indeed…"

We all walked over to the duo, coming up on Nikki's side so she didn't see us. Ashley saw us, and I waved my hand as if to say "Don't tell her."

I made bunny ears over Nikki's head, and Ashley put a hand over her mouth to stop herself from laughing. Nikki looked at her like she was crazy, and suddenly whirled around.

The moment she saw me, she stared at me for a bit before throwing her arms around me, catching me by surprise. This lasted for about three seconds before she regained her composure and tried not to look all that surprised, which failed.

Her brown hair kept falling in her face when we started talking so she had to keep pushing it back, and her dark eyes were sparkling with excitement.

"Omigosh, Mario, I missed you guys so much! I'm so glad you're here; otherwise I have no idea what I'd do! Anyway…"

She seemed so happy at the moment, and I hardly understood a word she said, until she was near finishing.

"Oh, yeah, Mario, do you remember that _thing_ that we decided it would be funny if you greeted someone like that?" she asked.

I creased my brows, searching my memory for what she was talking about. Then, I found it.

"It was that one line from "Life Is Beautiful", right?" I wondered aloud.

Nikki nodded and smiled again for the billionth time.

"There are a lot of people here worthy of it."

I thought for a minute before deciding, and I knew exactly who. I turned to Ashley, who had added little in our conversation.

"Buon giorno, Principessa!" I told her.

Ashley frowned, not getting it. Nikki laughed.

"It means, 'Good day, Princess' in Italian," she explained.

_I_ couldn't explain why Ashley suddenly had a look of horror on her face.

**Dun Dun DUUUUUUN! XD You guys are smart, you ****probably get it…But ANYway, 'Life Is Beautiful' is an Italian ****movie about the Holocaust…It's good, but the Main Character****always said "Buon Giorno, Principessa" to the girl he liked…****Hey, I have OC spots open still! Just a few...Don't wanna confuse ****myself…But that happens anyway! XD**

**~Fezzes64**


	5. Chapter 4: Luigi, Gina, and Marianna

Chapter 4: Luigi, Gina, and Marianna

Mario, Madz, and Nikki all had a concerned expression that seemed to mimic each other. The color brown suddenly came to mind, the way random colors did when a strong emotion hung in the air like a wet towel on a clothesline, and stuck.

"What's wrong, Ashley?" asked Nikki, whose steady dark gaze gave the odd feeling of an endless pit.

I shook my head; trying to clear away the one question that I knew couldn't possibly be confirmed true. Did Mario know I was a princess? I gave a nervous laugh and said "Rosalina and Daisy are waiting. I-I'd better go…" before rushing off.

I think they must have noticed the higher pitch of my voice, the way they stared after me. I bumped right into two people, who had been standing there for a while now. Looking up, I realized with a startling jolt that the boy looked a lot like Mario, and the girl looked a lot like the other person with Mario. The look on their faces set the mood; they said with their eyes a 'what's-wrong-with-you?' Look that made me even more anxious to get away.

"Stars, what's going on with you, Ashley?" said Rosalina behind me.

I whirled around to find many people advancing on me, and worse, Mario, and Marianna were in the midst. But, wait. Why was I concerned whether Mario was there or not? Why was everyone gathering around me? Who's that girl in the purple shirt? What's a cucumber?

I awoke in the middle of the gym…but I wasn't on the floor. Odd. It was somewhat warm where I was, and not necessarily hard. Even more odd. I opened my eyes just slightly to see the outline of a _lot _of people. Shielding my eyes from the sudden light, I tried to focus. I realized that I was moving.

"Coach!" shouted a voice directly above me.

Jumping, I looked up, and what I saw made me yelp in surprise. Mario was right above me, and why I wasn't on the floor became clear. I was in his arms. All the boys were gathered around me, trying to make sure I was awake. Mario was looking at Coach Willow, who was approaching.

"Ashley? Are you awake?" she asked.

I nodded, still unsure of this whole thing. So far, all I got from this was that I was extremely embarrassed. Mario looked down at me, his eye brows lowering in concern. Coach Willow came up behind him and also looked at me. I decided to crack the question.

"What happened?"

There was a moments silence before the gym erupted with laughter. Mario, Coach Willow, and a short and thin boy with gold-blonde hair all tried to get everyone quiet.

"Hey, leave her alone! She's just disoriented!" the other boy shouted.

Mario looked to him and said "Thanks, Logan," and turned back to me.

"Ashley," he started, before taking a deep breath. "You passed out."

I blinked up at him in disbelief. His deep, celestial-blue eyes shone with both pity and worry while his odd red hat stood out suddenly, as if it had been blown off, and the way he easily held me gave the impression that he had been holding me for a while. I tried to hold my senses together as well as I could, but my thoughts kept drifting back to when I went black. The last thought I remember thinking was how…lightheaded I felt.

"Ashley?" Mario asked.

My eyes focused on Mario again, and he put me down slowly onto lowest part of the stands and sat next to me, along with the boy called Logan, and then one more unfamiliar boy came and stood in front of us. Mario and I both noticed that he was breathless.

"S-sorry, I just wanted to check on her," he said, referring to me.

I noticed that he was average height, had chestnut-brown hair, and sprightly, russet eyes. Mario nodded.

"That's fine, Billy, do you want to talk to Ashley?"

"Uh, sure…"

The boy called Billy sat next to me and gave an uneasy smile. I didn't know why he was uncomfortable, while he had a whole army of boys at his side if I attacked; I had no one, so I should be the nervous one. He shifted, and then forced a smile while offering his hand out.

"Hi, I'm William, but my friends call me Billy. Nice to meet you Ashley," he said politely.

Just because I felt a bit sorry for him, I put on a genuine smile, and said, shaking his hand "A pleasure, William."

He seemed encouraged by this motion, and his smile suddenly became honest, and for some reason, I had this odd urge to find out more about him, but the rules of princess etiquette argued otherwise.

Coach Willow came in with a few other people; the people who I suspected looked a lot like Mario, Madz, and the girl in the purple shirt. Madz rushed over to me as soon as we made eye contact, causing me to waver since I was still a bit dazed.

"Ashley! Are you okay!?" she cried.

I nodded slowly, not really knowing why so many people were concerned for me. The girl in the purple shirt hung back, while Mario's clones stepped forward. The two girls smiled kindly at me, the one in red wearing more of a smirk, and the girl in green looking a bit bored.

"Hi, Ashley, my name's Marianna," said the red-clad girl. "This is Gina, and Luigi. We're siblings of Mario."

Luigi nodded to me, and Gina gave a small wave. The girl in the purple shirt (If I never know her name, she will be known like that) looked to me, and strode forward. She eyed me with her topaz-brown eyes while her long, dirty-gold blonde hair acted stubborn. She was tall, that much I could tell.

"Hello." She said briskly. I nodded. "Name's Magi, and don't ask," she added as I opened my mouth.

I shrugged. Marianna, Madz, Gina, and Magi soon left to go off to athletics. Luigi went back to the group still trying to observe me. Getting up to join the group, I noticed everyone seemed to disapprove.

"Ashley, I don't think you should run today," said Coach Willow.

What? That didn't make sense…me…not running? That was like a caterpillar turning into a spider, a book that had no story… it wasn't right. Turning around, I noticed that people were trying to get me to sit down. Mario, who had stood up with me, gave me a rather apologetic look, and pulled me back in my seat.

Oh, boy.

**Hello, this is Fezzes64, and to those who actually read this story, THANK YOU! I want to give a special thanks to **_**Luigified531**_**, whom of which I appreciate his reviews.**

**I still have character spots open! You're not out of time! This is the one and only chapter in which I will ask for you to review, because I want to make this sort of where the readers can interfere with the story plot, mainly involving characters, so, Please Review!**

**May the stars shine down on you!**

**~Fezzes64**


	6. Chapter 5: Pauline

Chapter 5: Pauline

Ashley was a bit more confined to herself for the rest of the week, staying with Rosalina and Daisy, but I had a feeling that this wasn't all about not being able to run. Finally, on Friday, she seemed a bit happier. I did my usual morning greeting ("Buon Giorno, Principessa!"), and she smiled, for once. I returned her smile, and moved on, running straight into Pauline, a girl who made it clear she wants to be my girlfriend. She smirked as I looked at her, and batted her eyelashes, flirting.

I gave her my You-still-can't-impress-me look, and giving me one last fake smile, she stalked off. Later, during athletics, while jogging together on the two-mile, I asked Ashley if she was okay.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

I gave her an apprehensive look, but refused to let up. "You sure?" I asked. She nodded, and I still didn't buy it. She must have gotten the message, because she sighed, and spoke.

"Okay, fine. I don't know if you found out already, but…this is my first time going to school. Ever."

I stared at her. This was a shock. She'd never gone to school before? Maybe this explained why she was always so nervous. Well, this was unexpected from her. I'll give her credit for that.

"I'll tell you one thing. I was only here for seventh and eighth grade, because I'm from Venice, Italy. I'm going back as soon as this year ends, though."

She smiled. Again. We ran in silence for a while longer, and the coach eventually announced that we needed to get inside because the bell was going to ring soon. When we went our separate ways for the majority of the day, all I could think about was her. She was never off my mind, and I didn't know what it meant. It seemed odd that I could hardly concentrate, yet I got everything done like I usually do. Then I came to the conclusion that there was something I needed to ask her, I just didn't know what. Then, while sitting in science, I had a vision.

"_What is love, tree?" _

_Shaking slightly, the tree seemed to beckon a small child into its shade. The little girl moved closer to the trunk, and with a questioning look on her face, she looked upwards._

"_Love is complicated, Peach. It will come to you one day, and you will know how to define it."_

"_Why can't you?"_

"_Because I've never felt love before."_

_The small girl continued to gaze upward to the tree until tears fell from her eyes, a gesture of pity._

"_Love is that complicated?"_

"…_..Yes."_

_The girl wrapped her arms around the tree and let her tears fall down onto the ground, making the tree groan and creak as it leaned forward slightly to comfort the girl._

My mind came back to reality, startling me. Then came the questions. Why did that girl look like Ashley? Why was the tree talking? Why did the tree address the girl as 'Peach'? My head spun as I turned in my completed assignment, and when the bell rang, I went to my locker to get the things I needed for orchestra.

"Hey, leave me alone!"

"Ashley, listen to this. Okay, you know karate, right? Well, we know Judo. Judo know when we're gonna punch you, judo know when I'm gonna kick you…"

"Leave me ALONE!"

I walked around the corner to see Andy and Jacob ganging up on Ashley right at her locker, and feeling the anger rising, I walked toward them.

"Heh, judo know when I'm gonna hit you, judo know when-"

"Judo know when you're gonna _shut up_!" I barked.

Andy and Jacob jumped in surprise when they heard me.

"Oh, hey Mario! Small world, isn't it?" they teased.

"Go. Now." I ordered.

"Oh, yes, oh lord Mario, we'll obey you're every command!"

Sitting there, pretending to be fearful sent a fresh surge of anger through me.

"You'd better…" I growled.

They seemed a bit shocked that I was telling them off for this, but they should have been used to it. I did it at least a million times last year, yet I have to admit, I told them off a bit more vigorously this time. Ashley let out a long and slow breath, trying to relax.

"You okay?" I asked, turning my friendly back on.

She gave a shaky nod, proving that Andy and Jacob had gotten to her. Trying not to make her feel uncomfortable, I wrapped one arm around her and murmured in her ear "Let's go to orchestra."

She gratefully walked by my side to the orchestra room, and I couldn't help but notice that on the way, Pauline sent me a look that would have torn me to shreds had eyes taken the ability. I shrugged it off since Pauline was the least of my worries right now. Right now, my worries lied with Ashley.

**Hello, people! Did you like this chappy? Agh, I don't know what to call the next one, 'cause I have no one to introduce! Oh, dear…**

**Anyway, Luigified531, did **_**you**_** like this one? I might include someone special in the next one…someone from another world…**

**Yes, I'm making Mario come from Italy, and not Brooklyn, and it's partly because he **_**is**_** Italian, so it makes sense.**

**~Fezzes64**


	7. Chapter 6: Marth

Chapter 6: Marth

Playing in orchestra took my mind off the sick joke that the boys played on me, and I was glad that Mario had swooped in just when I thought they would do something worse. Mr. Powell was talking about a talent show coming up next month, and, being Mr. Powell, he made it sound sort of weird. I think it was 'The Lions Roar' show, but the way he was saying it made me think it was 'The Lions War' show.

However, the moment he said 'singing', I snapped back to realism.

"So 'The Lions Roar (war)' show is basically a talent show where you can sign up to do whatever you wish, and all you have to do is show up. I signed us up as an orchestra, but if you want to do your own act, I have sign-up sheets. Mario seemed intrigued by the idea too oddly enough.

After class, I went a bit slower than usual, waiting for Daisy and Rosalina. Typically, they were dying to know how my day went, but today, I had no idea. Finally, the moment I came to the pipe hidden deep in the forest, they showed up, chattering like two little budgies.

"…So he's really coming?" asked Daisy.

"Correction, _they_ are coming."

Daisy let out a giggle, and I wondered why. They were huddled close together, and laughing like gossiping girls. The moment they spotted me, they froze. I sent an irritated look toward them before jumping in the pipe, and storming home. My mom beckoned me the moment I walked in, and brought me close.

"Peach, we have visitors."

She let me go, and gave a friendly push towards one hallway, and, peeking in, I spotted them. I had to put my things up, so I didn't walk in; I just got a peek. I then raced up the marble staircase to my bedroom and dusted off my T-shirt, and it still didn't do too much good, and fixed the lettering (Play like a girl to beat the boys), and raced back down the stairs at the same time Daisy and Rosalina did.

"When did you guys get here?" I asked.

"Just now," they said at the same time.

I shrugged, and walked into the room. There were three boys, about my age, talking about something-or-other, but when we walked in, they stopped to introduce themselves. Judging from their capes, I guessed they were from The Fire Emblem world. One had longish blue hair, another had short, blue spiky hair, and the last one had average reddish-brown hair.

"Hello, Princesses, it is a pleasure," the one with spiky blue hair said, sounding bored.

"Ike!" hissed the one with longish (I like that word) blue hair.

Ike looked at his comrades, and sighed.

"Please, take a seat."

Shrugging, we all sat down in a chair, and waited…for something.

"Princess Peach, we are glad to be here. We know you don't know who we are, so allow us to introduce ourselves." said the one with long blue hair. All three of them stood up.

"Hi, my name is Ike." Ike said flatly.

"Hello, nice to meet you, my name is Roy," said the one with reddish-brown hair.

"Greetings, my name is Marth." said Mr. Long Blue hair.

Daisy, Rosalina, and I nodded in welcoming as the three of them sat down. In my opinion, Marth was the one with the most manners. They told us a bit about themselves. Apparently, Marth was a prince, and both Roy and Ike were to-be Lords.

Soon, we all took a stroll in the garden, for no particular reason. I decided to wheel them all around front, so I changed direction until we got to my favorite tree. Roy kind of stuck with Rosalina, Ike got trapped with Daisy, and that left me to stay with Marth.

"So, Princess, how is school for you?" he asked.

"I'm…not really sure," I replied. "I still haven't gotten used to it. Oh, and call me Peach."

He nodded sympathetically, and smiled.

"You know, if Ike, Roy, and I are going to be here for a few weeks, I might as well help you with anything." He offered.

I grinned back at him and he nodded, signaling that we should go back. We took it kind of slowly back to the castle, and I found that I trusted Marth, much like Mario. Maybe Marth would become one of those guy-friends to me.

Later that night, I was standing on my balcony, looking at the stars, and trying to decipher the message that their twinkling lights held. The dead-black of the night sky was only illuminated by these sparkling, diamond-like stars that was filled to the brim with mystery that only I could define. They told me to burst into song, to sing my heart out, and someone would hear me, someone special. So I sang.

_See the world in green and blue,_

_See China right in front of you,_

_See the canyons broken by cloud,_

_See the tuna fleets clearing the sea out,_

_See the Bedouin fires at night,_

_See the oil fields at first light, and,_

_See the bird with a leaf in her mouth,_

_After the flood all the colors came out…_

_It was a beautiful day,_

_Don't let it get away,_

_Beautiful day…_

I let my voice ring loud and pure throughout the land, and I had no idea who heard me. 'Beautiful Day' by U2 was one of my favorite songs yet and I thought of every little thing that the lyrics mentioned. The stars settle into a steady blinking, proving that they had nothing else to say. Then, I heard a soft rustling beside me. Turning to look, I saw Marth looking up as well. I then remembered that there were two ways to get to the balcony; one, through my room, and the other through the room where Marth was sleeping.

"You, too, huh?" I asked.

He smiled and nodded. Even though he was completely at ease physically, I had a feeling that he was agitated.

"They're all coming, you know." He said. I tilted my head at him in question.

"Our friends from the other worlds are coming; in fact someone should be coming right now."

I nodded, now that I understood. Suddenly, below us, there was a great, big knock on the door. Marth and I looked at each other before sprinting down the corridors to see who had come. We heaved the giant door open to see a welcoming sight; Link and Zelda.

**Hello, people! Sorry I couldn't get it longer! Now, what? I won't have just people from video games; I'll have people like Harry Potter, Anime, and stuff like that. Who thinks that Marth should be a Guy-friend to Peach? Well, I hope a lot of you do.**

**May the stars shine down on you!**

**~Fezzes64**


	8. Chapter 7: The Doctor

Chapter 7: The Doctor

**Marth: Oh…okay… the last chapter is named after me. O_o  
****Harry Potter: No, it's like this: O-O (like his glasses)  
****Mario:…..  
****Ashley: I don't really think it matters at the moment. (By the way, The Doctor is not my uncle, for future reference)  
****Madz: Wait, **_**what?  
**_**The Doctor: Just let it be, Harry. He's just surprised.  
****Marth, Mario, Madz, and Ashley:…**

My eyes snapped open. I heard a voice through my open window, and, standing bolt upright, I darted to the window. The voice was just a blur before, and all that I managed to catch was:

_It was a beautiful day,_

_Don't let it get away,_

_Beautiful day…_

It was pure, and…Beautiful, and in my opinion, perfect. I noticed that my eyelids drooped heavier and heavier at hearing the voice, and I made a feeble attempt at waking up. Reluctantly, I dragged myself back to my bed and flopped onto the covers, knowing what this meant. I had another vision.

_Four people, about the same age, on a balcony were talking to each other. Two were girls, and two were boys. The boy with a green tunic and blonde hair was laughing at a joke that the blue-haired boy wearing a cape said._

"_Y'know," said the girl with golden-blonde hair. "We have more guests coming in the morning. Who do you think they are, Link?"_

_The boy in the green tunic just laughed and shrugged._

"_Marth?"_

"_Eh, I dunno." Said the boy with blue hair_

"_What about you, Zelda?"_

"_I think it's going to be someone older, but I'm not sure," came the other girl's reply. She brushed her brown hair out of her face and smoothed her purple dress._

"_I'm going to bed, guys," the girl called Zelda said. The boy called Marth nodded, and signaled the boy called Link closer. He whispered something in his ear, causing him to blush. Face flushed, he went after Zelda._

_Marth went up to the girl with golden-blonde hair. He followed her upward gaze and reached for her hand. _

"_Who do think heard you?" he asked. The girl shook her head._

"_I dunno, but I kind of have my hopes up for someone…"_

"_What is it you go by at school? Ashley or something?"_

"_Yup." Marth smiled, and Ashley laughed._

"_I still want you to call me Peach, though."_

"_Deal."_

As soon as I woke up, I gasped. Ashley? Peach? Was this the same Peach from my earlier vision? Was she actually Ashley? And where were they? I thought of it being a castle of some kind, but I didn't know. I tried in vain to make sense of it, but there was nothing that connected. All I did the rest of the weekend was sit and listen for the voice, or try to have another vision. It didn't work. Finally, during the week, Ashley and I met again, and we continued to live our normal lives.

I kept an eye for any weird behavior from her…And got none. On Tuesday, a note was posted on the message board.

_Students,_

_On Friday, we will be hosting the annual school picnic in which girls are required to wear dresses/skirts, and boys are required to wear the most casual clothes possible._

_Thanks, _

_Mr. Schover_

"Oh…" said Ashley behind me.

She had read the notice board too. I turned around to see a crestfallen face. "What's wrong with it?" I asked her. She looked at me for a minute before saying "I used to have to go to parties like this at least once a week." I nodded in sympathy.

In English, we were studying Romeo and Juliet, as I knew we were going to, and I partnered up with Ashley to do our book assignment. She seemed agitated for some reason, like she wanted to tell me something, but she couldn't. I kept a close eye on her for the rest of the day, well, as close as I could. I had Nathan and Billy watch her when I didn't have the period with her. Finally, we all met up in orchestra.

"How's she doing?" I asked Billy.

He nodded a bit, as if to say 'she's alright.' Nathan looked at him in agreement, but with an odd expression on his face.

"She said I looked like her friend _Harry Potter_."

"Who's Harry Potter?"

"I dunno, I think maybe a friend of hers from somewhere far away; it doesn't sound local."

I shrugged. I knew that she could be a bit odd at times. I went and picked up my cello, when the sign-up sheets for 'The Lion's Roar' show caught my eye. I've been preforming there since the sixth grade, and I had been waiting for these so I could do it again. I picked one up, and, casting a glance backward as I left for my seat, and noticed that Ashley had done the same, taking her sheet back to her eat next to me.

"Mor-I mean, _evening_ class…" started Mr. Powell.

"Ashley," I whispered.

She turned to me, startled.

"You're doing 'The Lion's Roar' show, too?"

"Yeah, why?"

"What are you doing?"

"Singing."

I thought for a minute. I was singing too. Maybe…what if… could we possibly?

"Do you want to do a duet?" I asked.

She looked at me for a while in surprise, her gaze showing so many emotions flying past that I couldn't understand. We both listened to Mr. Powell speak for a minute.

"…So, 'The Magic Flute' is about a prince named Tamino who…"

"Um…sure?" she said slowly, not really having expected it.

"You don't have to if you don't want to," I replied, trying to take any pressure off of her.

"….."

"…So Mario and Ashley, will you play this Viola and Cello duet?" he asked. Well, this was ironic. Ashley and I looked at each other and exchanged a small smile. This could be a test, I thought, to see how well we work together. The song was 'Twelve Duets' by Mozart, and it was a piece I had read over before. Ashley started us off, and I nearly stopped, because I listened to our sound, and it was breathtaking. The notes were in perfect tune and they blended beautifully together, just as Mozart made it. I noticed our vibrato was full, our bows went their lengths, and we moved in sync with each other. It was almost as if we had the same abilities.

Ashley seemed completely at ease, her bow strokes stunningly timed, and her sound rang throughout the room at a forte level. Mr. Powell was very pleased. We eventually finished, and set our bows down for the day so we could all go home. After the bell rang, I went to my locker to get my things, when there was a voice.

"No, I said leave me alone!"

"Of course you deny it! All blondes are dumb!"

Sighing, I went around the corner.

"Actually, you've got it wrong; it's Andys' that are dumb." I retorted.

I noticed that Ashley was ready to clip him in the jaw with the irritated face she had. I shooed Andy off since his little friend wasn't there with him, and nodded to Ashley before returning to my locker.

"I'll do it." She said behind me. I turned around to look at her. "I'll do the duet."

I smiled. "We'll come up with what song we'll do tomorrow."

She returned my nod, and left, leaving me to wonder what she had in mind. Maybe a U2 song? I honestly had no idea.

I had another vision that night. It involved a flying police box for some reason. I had gotten into my bed and was just about ready to go to sleep, when I had the familiar sensation of jumping into a gigantic green pipe that I'd never seen before.

_Peach stood on the balcony along with her friends Zelda, Link, and Marth, gazing upward at the stars once more._

"_What did the prophecy say?" asked Zelda._

"_Yes, the prophecy was supposed to be sent when you start thinking about the dark side." Said Marth._

"_It said:_

"There is a man who is to come during the seventh generation. He is a man of great power and great knowledge; the two keys in life. He is to make the spirits of the princess rise, rise until she is allowed to live; live a life that has been given the gift of foreverness""

_Peach replied, apparently having memorized it._

_Marth looked at her, and suddenly, his gaze slipped over to the skies._

"_I'll go to school with you too. Zelda, Link, you should come, as well. Peach, do you have any idea of who the hero could be?" Marth asked._

_Peach smiled shyly, and held her hands crossed over her heart._

"_I have hopes for…somebody."_

_Suddenly, everyone's eyes went to the skies above, and they all saw…A blue box… and as it got closer, their eyes widened in fear._

"_Why's he crashing?"_

"_I don't know!"_

"_Maybe the TARDIS took control again?"_

_They all dived out of the way as the strange blue box landed. It was a police box from England, and it looked like it was very beat-up._

_Suddenly, a man stepped out, looking at the four adolescents like old friends. He was dressed strangely, a light brown tweed jacket, dark pants that were too short for him, darker shoes, a clearly-shown bowtie, and a tube-like hat._

"_Why's The Doctor here?" Link whispered._

_Peach stood up._

"_Doctor, you only ever come if it's important. Why are you here? And what in the name of sanity have you got on your head?" She asked._

"_It's a fez, I wear a fez now. Fezzes are cool." The strange man started, smirking. "I came because I have information about your future that is vital to your existence."_

_Peach gestured for him to go on._

"_His dark side exists now. He has seen you, and he knows nothing of your status. He will come after you think the dark side has taken you forever." The Doctor said seriously, hinting that this was a very important matter._

"_Do I know him?"_

"_I don't know."_

_Peach gave a little smile of thanks for the information and looked up again. "Stars, I don't know if I can deal with this."_

_Marth looked at The Doctor oddly._

"_Excuse me, but I don't believe we've been introduced."_

"_Yes, sorry. You are Marth correct? Hello, I'm The Doctor, just The Doctor, the last of the Time Lords. I go around saving worlds when they need it with my fellow TARDIS. She's my time machine."_

_Marth nodded. "Will you be staying?"_

"_Yes."_

"_I'll show you to your room," offered Link._

_Link took The Doctor to his room, allowing Marth to speak to Peach again._

"_Who do you wish it to be?"_

"_A boy named Mario."_

**Mario:…..  
****Marth: Um, Mario?  
****Peach: He wanted it to be longer.  
****Link: I think it's cool.  
****The Doctor: I get an appearance! Yay!  
****Fezzes64: How many people like The Doctor? We'll find out, I guess…**

**~Fezzes64**


	9. Chapter 8: The School Picnic

Chapter 8: The School Picnic

"Mom, do I really have to wear this?" I asked.

My mom nodded. Of course she did, it was an order.

"P-I mean, Ashley, you look wonderful!" exclaimed Marth. "I don't see why you don't like it."

I sighed. Today was going to be a _long _day. The school picnic for eighth graders was today, and this would happen once every month. In my opinion, it was stupid for the girls to wear dresses.

"What's this!" shouted Link, gesturing to his attire.

I had to admit, he looked odd in jeans and a T-shirt. Apparently, he liked his tunic better. Zelda came in soon afterwards and started trying to find The Doctor, who was somewhere outside trying to fix his TARDIS.

Just the other day, Marth, Link, and Zelda had enrolled in my school because of what The Doctor told me. Yesterday was the first day of school for them, and soon, they had become known throughout the whole school. I remember telling Marth that I had hoped that the hero was Mario, but I had stopped abruptly, feeling the abnormal sensation that someone was watching me. Marth had felt it too; I knew by the way he froze up. By the time we were ready for school, The Doctor had already fixed the TARDIS, so we were going to be late if we didn't hurry up.

I kept tripping over the random bumps in the path as we ran since I wasn't wearing my usual shoes, and flats were the worst thing to run in.

I was wearing a dress/skirt thing, it had tank-top straps, and for the actual dress part of it, it was knee-length, and flow-ish, so if I spun around, the wind would catch on. That's why I wore shorts underneath. My flats were just typical, the usual shine and a bow at the end. The only noticeable difference of this from my princess attire was that everything was red. My dress had a plaid pattern to match the whole picnic theme, and my flats were a darker red, and I wore a headband of the same shade with a little flower on it. I didn't really see the point in gloves.

When we got to school, Link looked like he was about to pass out, with his funky way of walking, taking a step, and wobbling, and taking another step and swaying. Zelda, Daisy, Rosalina and I knew exactly what to do, and so, without warning…

"LINK!" we barked.

"H-huh? Wha!" he said, startled. Marth just laughed, but with a hint of nervousness.

Link was to go by 'Lenny', since Link wasn't a name that would be used on Earth, and Zelda claimed that her name would work. Marth was just tense because he thought all the boys would start calling him 'Martha'.

Link walked straight after that.

We continued down the sidewalk for a while, and I felt glad that despite my uneasiness about going to school, I had begun to make it through alright.

"Buon giorno, principessa!" said a cheerful-sounding voice.

We all turned at the same time to see Mario, his arms crossed casually over his chest, and, with his red T-shirt and jeans, it made it look like he was just going to the park. Well, we kind of were.

"Now, then. You are…M…arth? Right?" Mario asked, facing Marth. He nodded, hinting a small smile.

"And you are Lenny?"

Link nodded.

"And Zelda, right?"

Zelda made an embarrassed smile.

"Now, I know you guys," he said, gesturing to Daisy and Rosalina. "But I forgot _your _name. What was it again?" he teased, looking at me.

We all giggled at his comment, and as we all walked off to athletics together, only splitting up at the locker rooms. The boys went off to theirs, and I would soon join them after I was ready and dressed.

Coach Willow split us into groups of four, and fortunately, she let me choose my own group to avoid awkwardness. Of course, I chose Marth, Link, and Mario. We were practicing Volleyball, and all we had to do was bump it to each other and keep it controlled. The only person who needed help was Link, since apparently; he didn't know what a ball was.

Marth and I had to cover and pretend to explain how to bump it, but really telling him what to do. Oddly enough, Mario seemed to understand completely, and gave him a few extra tips on how to hit the ball so Link didn't drive a hole in the ceiling. By the end of the period, we had been sort of perfected.

In second period, we had to go straight to the park where the picnic was taking place, and, with Madz and Magi, I walked to a peaceful enough tree and, to Mrs. William's disapproval, I climbed it. Looking around, I noticed that _everyone_ was here. Everyone. As in, _the whole school was empty_. I sat down on a branch, and I suddenly felt something, a sensation of warmth. I couldn't identify it, I was like every time I reached out for it, it hopped blissfully out of my reach.

"_Miss, are you okay?"_

_The figure knelt in front of me and provided support while I sat up. Slowly and gingerly, he helped me stand up, and I still couldn't even see what he looked like. All I knew was that he was short._

"_W-who…are you…?" I asked vaguely._

_He just shook his head. _

"_That doesn't matter."_

_He then picked me up again, and stopped at the forest which surprised me. I didn't remember him walking, but then again, I was too tired to notice anything._

"_You need to go back to where you came from. If you can't, then I can send for help."_

"_But what about y-"_

"_I don't matter right now."_

_I tried to get up, but I just couldn't. Before I knew it, he had told me to stay on the bench, and went off to find help._

"Aaaaaashleeeeey, you there? said a voice, in a somewhat teasing tone.

I turned to look at Mario who had started climbing the tree and made his way to a branch near mine. His face was flooding with concern.

"You were just sort of…staring into space…Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Come down here, Lenny, Marth, and Zelda want to talk to you."

I almost asked who Lenny was, but then I remembered.

I obediently climbed down and followed Mario's lead to the center pond where Link and Zelda sat. Marth was pacing around them, in deep thought.

"Where is she?...I hope she's not gone…Why am I _pacing_?" he muttered.

"Here she is," said Link. He stood up with Zelda as they turned at the same time toward me. I nearly stopped out of confusion, but miraculously kept walking.

"Link, what are you guys-" I broke off. I accidently said 'Link' and not 'Lenny'. Oops. "D-doing…?" I finished feebly.

Mario didn't seem to notice, but gave a small hint of a smile at the word 'Link'.

"Nickname?" he asked.

Link looked at him dumbly for a minute, before getting the question.

"Uhh, yeah, Link is my nickname."

Mario and I sat down by the pond and we all talked for a minute. Zelda was looking forward to the 'Lion's Roar' show, and speaking of the subject, it reminded me that Mario and I hadn't chosen a song to sing. Mario realized this too.

"Hey, Ashley…"

"The Song…"

"We haven't chosen anything yet."

"What are you guys talking about?" interrupted Marth.

"Oh, yeah, Ashley and I decided to do a duet for the 'Lion's Roar' show…we still haven't decided on a song-"

"Do something from Muse!" shouted Zelda, causing many people to turn their heads. Mario seemed unfazed by her sudden outburst…however he seemed very interested in the idea.

"Yeah, we should sing a Muse song…but which one?

"I dunno…"

"You have to do '_Supermassive Black Hole'," _said Zelda in that odd tone of voice.

Suddenly, I felt a tap on my shoulder, and, turning to see who it was, I saw a girl with scintillating black hair, and velvety brown eyes. She wore a snowy white T-shirt, and a midnight-blue skirt. She gave a shy giggle as I turned around, and stuck out her hand.

"Hi! My name's Ella, but my friends call me Ice. Nice to meet you, Ashley!" she greeted enthusiastically. I gave a small wave, and her smile seemed just a bit brighter.

"Hey, Ella!" said Mario, coming up beside me.

Ella/Ice bounced in delight at the sight of Mario.

"Mario! I was hoping to find you here!"

"Yes, I was too. Can you help us with something?"

"Of course!"

"Ashley and I planned on doing a duet for the upcoming talent show. We need back-up singers, too. Can you be one of them?"

"I would LOVE to!" she said pleasurably, sounding sort of like Pikachu when he got excited.

Zelda, Marth, and Link all stood up, and, all taking a step towards Mario, they said "We'll help too."

Mario gave an impressed nod, almost as if he didn't expect so many people willing to help.

"Now, do we want karaoke, or our own music?"

"We make our own. All with me, say 'Aye'" I voted.

"Aye."

" Aye."

"And I."

"I say Aye."

"Good…now who knows what? I know electric guitar…" Mario started off.

"I do, too!" said Link.

"I know bass," volunteered Marth.

"I can do drums," said a voice behind all of us. Turning at the same time, we saw Luigi heading toward us.

Mario turned toward me.

"Do you know anything, Ashley?"

"I only know a little from each."

"That's okay. Link, Marth, and Luigi can play while the rest of us sing."

"Okay."

"Hey, look, it's that other girl…Do you see her, over there on the other side of the lake?" said Ice.

"Isn't that…Lexia?" asked Mario after a moment.

"Yeah, I think so."

Turning, I saw a girl across the lake taking out a bass from orchestra. I remembered seeing her in last period, in the back of the room. She really only paid attention to Mr. Powell, not any of the idiocy going on next to her. I wasn't close enough to describe her, but I could tell she looked a little lonely.

"She likes to be alone," Mario said, coming up behind me, and speaking as if he had read my thoughts.

"Boys and girls, it's time to party!" interrupted Mr. Schover in the most excited voice the old principal could muster.

Mario, Marth, Link, Luigi, Zelda, Ella, and I all looked at each other, exchanging glances, and shrugged.

We stayed by the willow tree that hung over the water surface, and, climbing it, we all found a nice spot. We decided that the party everyone went to on the other side didn't matter. As for how much time until we go home….? Well, let's just say we were supposed to stay until eight.

"So…" Ice started after a while.

"Who wants to sing something?" asked Mario.

Everyone raised their hands. I wondered what song he had in mind.

"Does everyone know 'Someone Like You'?"

Everyone nodded.

"Okay, then. We will all exchange parts, and when we get to the chorus, we'll all sing together."

"Okay."

"Got it."

"Let's start."

"_I heard, that you're settled down, that you, found a girl, and you're married now…"_ Started Zelda.

"_I heard that your dreams came true, guess she gave you things, I didn't give to you…" _I sang.

"_Old friend, why are you so shy, ain't like you to hold back, or hide from the light…" _Marth sang, unexpectedly nice.

"_I hate to turn up out of the blue uninvited but I couldn't stay away, I couldn't fight it, I had hoped you'd see my face and that you'd be reminded that for me, it isn't over," _Mario resonated, his voice casting off a warm feeling that sort of…gave off a caring reverberation.

"_Never mind, I'll find, Someone Like You, I wish nothing but the best for you, too…__Don't forget me, I beg, I remember, you said…"_ All of us sang this together.

"_Sometimes it lasts in love, but sometimes it hurts instead, sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead…" _sang Link.

By that time, we were swaying gently with the beat of the song, and when we finished, a crowd clapped. Eyes snapping open, and gazes waking up from daydreams, we came back to Earth, and realized everyone was watching.

Then my eyes met with that girl across the lake. I could finally describe her. She had pretty, long, and cute strawberry-blonde hair, and, upon closer observation, bright, curious, and pale blue eyes. I think her name was Lexia. Slowly, she started making her way toward us.

"Hi," she said, when she got to me.

"Hi…" I repeated.

There was an awkward moment of silence.

"Have you seen Madz?" she asked suddenly, a bright smile replacing the shy one on her face.

"I think she's somewhere around here…oh! There she is!" I said, pointing at Mario, who was talking with Madz at the base of the tree.

Lexia smiled again, before nodding in thanks, and moving towards Madz.

Maybe I would see Lexia again at some point?

After that, the rest of the party was very dull, and, by eight, I was ready to go home. Madz, Mario, and Lexia said goodbye, and, with a sudden jolt, I realized I couldn't find Daisy, Rosalina, Zelda, Link, or Marth. After a moment, I decided to just walk home slowly and hope they caught up.

I took a left and went into the forest. Alone. I took a right in hopes of finding the hidden pipe. Alone. I emerged on the streets of a nearby city, and turned to double back. Not alone.

Three guys who looked very mean stood in front of me as I turned.

"Little girls like you shouldn't be out late at night like this…" one teased.

Frowning, I tried to walk past them. One, with a short and stocky body structure, stepped in front of me. I turned the other way. Another guy stepped in front of me.

"Let me go, please," I said, my voice cracking slightly. All three of them burst into laughter.

"Not a chance, girlie." The one in the middle stated before grabbing my arm and yanking me into an alley way. I screamed as they surrounded me.

Suddenly, as if on cue, something came down from above right in front of me, and intercepted me as the three stalkers tried to reach for me. Holding me bridal style, the _man_, who was rather short, and refused to go into light to reveal what he looked like, let out professional kicks and punches as the three guys tried to steal me back. I tried to scream again, but he held a finger to my lips.

"Don't worry. I won't let them hurt you," he said softly, another kick lashing out to retaliate.

I believed him, even though the situation was dangerous. He had a sense of safety about him, a protector's sensation, I decided. I just couldn't describe it, it felt like I knew this man, and I trusted him.

Before I knew it, he had set me down to attack the men full on, and, noticing their height advantage, dread overcame me. Then, it was over, all three men knocked out.

The man stood over his opponents, and, turning around, he knelt in front of me.

"Miss, are you okay?" he asked.

He provided gentle support as I sat up from leaning against the wall, and let me lean on him as I stood up.

"W-who…are you…?" I murmured vaguely.

He just shook his head.

"That doesn't matter."

Then, picking me up again, he took a steady pace towards the forest, and he gingerly set me down on a bench.

"You need to go back to where you came from. If you can't, then I can send for help."

"But what about y-"

"I don't matter right now."

I tried to get up, but I just couldn't. He eased me back down again, and told me to stay where I was. I was on a bench that sort of sat behind a tree, so he determined me safe. I suddenly caught a glimpse of a blue police box behind him.

He cast a small glance back at me, and I finally saw what he looked like for a split second. He had a mustache, and really beautiful eyes, a deep shade of blue that looked just like Mario's…in fact, he looked like a future version of a short Mario, despite the fact he wore overalls and a red shirt. The reason he hid his face so well was because of his hat, a bright red that matched his shirt with an 'M'…

Then he was gone.

**Wait a second…what's future Mario doing there? Well, you'll just have to find out…**

**~Fezzes64**


	10. Chapter 9: The Man

Chapter 9: The Man

**Gaah! I fail! Such-short-CHAPTER!**

"You said _WHAT_?" I roared.

"Ashley was nearly kidnapped by a group of stalkers and she needs help getting back home," the man repeated, rather calmly considering the situation.

Zelda, Marth, Lenny, Madz, Daisy, Rosalina and I all gaped at him. Zelda had a hand over her heart, close to tears. Daisy was just shocked. Rosalina seemed cautious of the man.

"Who are you, and how do you know Ashley?" she asked behind me.

"If I told you, you wouldn't believe me. I'll show you where she is, if you'll follow me. Trust me, Mario."

Now, I nearly had a heart attack. How did he know my name? I didn't have time to ask because he leapt away, toward the park. Seeing no other choice since he apparently knew Ashley and we had no idea where she was, I followed him. I knew how to fight; if he turned on us, I was prepared.

Then, behind a tree, he showed us a bench, and, sitting alone and appearing very scared, was Ashley. She looked up as all seven of us rounded the tree trunk and stood in front of her, and shrank away from the man.

"Ashley, are you okay?" I asked softly, kneeling beside her.

She nodded slowly as Daisy sat next to her.

"Why did you leave without us, Ashley?" she inquired, trying not to sound upset.

"I thought you guys had already left since I couldn't find you anywhere," Ashley explained.

I felt a jab of both guilt and pity. All of us were trying to talk Mr. Powell into jumping into the lake, and, Ashley, while she was looking hopelessly around, never realized that we were walking in the same direction, but we were on the other side.

"We'll help you get back home," Marth said, and then to Madz and I, "We all know where she lives since we're all childhood friends."

Madz and I nodded in understanding, but before I let Ashley go, I hugged her and whispered in her ear "I promise not to let that happen again."

As Madz and I stood up, the man took a step forward, addressing Madz.

"I need to talk to you for a minute." He said.

"Wha-Hey, whoa! You can't just say you want to talk to her! She's not going anywhere without me!" I shouted. I realized that if I had been told the same thing, then I had a perfect retort on my lips, ("Just watch me,") but he didn't even seem to want to argue with me; he even cast me a sorrowful look.

"Please calm down. I'm just going to talk to her over there," he said, pointing to another tree. "You can watch her from there."

Before I could protest, he had walked her over there and started speaking softly so I couldn't hear. She nodded as he spoke, and, pulling a bit further away, he held out his hand. She stared at it a moment, being hesitant, before accepting it and giving a small shake. She said something back to him.

Then, the man disappeared, and, seemingly enough, he looked like he walked right into a blue police box.

Marth, Lenny, Zelda, Daisy, and Rosalina all stood with Ashley to take her home, and Madz and I said our farewell's for the night.

"Goodnight guys, see you-"

Madz was interrupted by a big 'Whooshing' sound. It was big and threatening, almost like war was starting, but it seemed like the sound came only by something fading, and, throwing a quick glance at where the man disappeared, I just caught sight of the blue police box as it faded from view.

**Uh oh, what happened? Can you guess? You have to pay close attention to a previous chapter to see what happened.**

**~Fezzes64**


	11. Chapter 10: Birthday

Chapter 10: Birthday

I needed The Doctor. At that very moment. Mario and Madz just saw his TARDIS disappear, and I needed to know why. How did that man have a connection with The Doctor? Was he a Time Lord? If he was, why did his TARDIS look like The Doctor's?

Marth realized this immediately, and, improvising, he let out a gasp.

"W-what was that?" he asked.

Mario shook his head, and Madz looked bewildered.

"N-no…he told me the truth…" she stated vaguely.

Everyone turned to her.

"What did he tell you?" Mario made it sound more like a demand than a question.

"I'm f-forbidden t-to tell anyone…" she said dreadfully. "I-I promised on my-my life n-not to tell…"

Mario, Marth, Zelda, Daisy, and Rosalina all exclaimed "What?" in unison.

"You shouldn't have done that, Madz," Link said.

Madz was nearly in tears.

"H-he said i-if I didn't, I-I would-" she broke off, and a soft sob escaped her throat.

"He said _he_ would find you, didn't he?" I asked calmly.

Everyone turned to me in question.

Madz nodded, and knelt down, face in her hands trying to stop tears.

"T-the only th-thing I can s-say, i-is my own opinion," Madz began. "H-he means u-us no h-harm, and I-I can tell, he wants t-to prot-tect us f-from e-evil…h-he said y-your secret w-was to be sh-shown t-to four others, and m-me…" she then stated, facing me.

I stood up quickly, and knelt beside her. Rubbing her shoulder, I let her cry for a bit. Mario took her other side and tried to comfort as well.

Marth, taking a knee in front of her, lifted her chin slightly, and said, with a beautifully sympathetic voice, "Don't worry, you don't have to tell anyone; we'll leave you be with it."

Madz nodded, her tears sparking in the moonlight, and Marth then, being the kind and compassionate boy he was, hugged her close. Madz gratefully accepted the support, and closed her eyes tightly, fighting the tears aggressively.

When she recovered, Mario walked her home, while my party led me the right way to the pipe. Jumping down, I felt the familiar sensation of flying downwards, and as soon as I emerged into the Mushroom Kingdom, I sprinted back to the castle. When I burst through the doors, I raced for the TARDIS which had taken its spot in the east wing.

I slowed as I neared it, and observed it once more. It was almost double my height, and, with a square base, each side couldn't be more than three feet. The blue police box seemed to have hardly enough room to fit one person. Yet, when I stepped inside, it became the size of a large living room, with a metal gate-like flooring, a console in the center which had many gadgets, bells, levers, and all kinds of things to push and pull. In the center of the console was a long, bluish tube with other smaller tubes inside it that stretched to the ceiling. Along the area of the stairs leading up to the console were pillars that resembled deer antlers, well, really large deer antlers. Then, there were another set of stairs that led up to _many_ corridors, which led to who-knows-what.

The Doctor stepped out from behind the console, looking on a little screen that said something in Gallifreyan.

"Yes?" he asked.

"TARDIS…nearly kidnapped…strange man…Madz…" I said breathlessly.

Lowering his eyebrows, he moved closer to me and looked me right in the eye.

"Come again?"

I breathed a heavy sigh. This was going to be a _long_ story.

After I explained it, which was long after Marth had come in to explore the TARDIS since he had never been in it before, The Doctor sat me down and told me to rest well. At least it was a Friday…wait…The 'Lion's Roar' show was _next_ Friday! That meant we had to get a lot of practice in…

"Peach, should I take you back to your room?" Marth asked.

I nodded.

As I was getting into bed, I thought of the words Madz said. She had said she and four others would find out my secret, but would it be by chance, or by choice? What was the secret she was talking about anyway? I was so focused on these things that I forgot for a minute what tomorrow was. I _knew_ it was something important, but I just couldn't remember.

I turned out the lights and set the alarm for whatever reason. I always set my alarm so I could be 'Up and at 'em', as they say. I guess I just wanted to start the day doing everything I could to help out. I felt bad being a princess and not having to do work. I did it anyway.

Somewhere in the middle of the night, I felt the presence of someone in my room. I didn't panic, as my instinct said I should've been, but rather, I felt safe, not quite the same sensation as I had felt with the man, but close enough. Too tired to observe further after a small 'beep' echoed through the room, I fell back to sleep.

I expected to hear my alarm ringing, my favorite alarm that was a speaker that played songs of my choice that I set it at. Instead of hearing 'Turning Tables', I heard….nothing. I had awoken to sunshine on my face, and a pleasant bustle of people moving in the hallway next to my room. Frowning, I sat up, wondering why I had woken up so late. I jumped at a sudden voice.

"Hey, Princess Peach."

I turned my head to see a boy in the corner of my room. No wonder I didn't see him. It was only until he stepped into the light that I recognized him. Harry Potter.

I nearly jumped out of bed in surprise, and said "Oh, h-hi, Harry, nice weather outside, isn't it?"

"I'm sorry if I startled you-" he said quickly, holding up his hands, evidently understanding my random comment as 'Oh. My. Stars. What are you doing in my room!'. "-But your mother told me to wake you up."

I nodded, signaling it was okay.

"Everyone is waiting outside your door…" he said after a moment. "I'll let you get dressed."

At that, he quickly walked out of the room.

I still couldn't remember what was so important today; it was as if my mind went blank.

After I got dressed in a light-blue sundress that came just over my knees, I opened my door to get something to eat only to see a whole crowd of people in my hallway.

"U-um…Hi….guys…" I said meekly, nearly falling backwards in my room.

Marth came up to me, and offered a hand. Taking it, I observed who was here.

From what I saw, there were a _lot _of old friends, and I wondered why they were all here. There was Samus, right off the bat, Sonic The Hedgehog, whose unusually long fur did _not_ match his age, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, and way more people I didn't recognize. I knew for a fact that Sonic lived on our moon, since this was the planet Nintendo, so he came all the way from the moon Sega…but for what purpose?

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PEACH!" Samus roared, and burst out laughing afterwards.

Oh. Right. Today was my birthday.

I mentally kicked myself for forgetting.

Everyone led me to the 'Grand Dining Hall', as Zelda called it, and sat me down on the north end. There was nothing but empty plates on the table as everyone but Harry Potter sat down.

Harry raised his wand, and murmured "Wingardium Leviosa."

Breakfast that the chefs prepared floated in the room, and, moving to their correct positions, the meal landed gently on the table. It looked _delicious_.

As I feasted on my pile of golden, fluffy, and thick pancakes, my mom walked in the room, and my dad came in after I started on my eggs. As soon as I saw him, I dropped my fork, and the whole room went silent. I simply stared at my dad. I pushed in my chair, and walked slowly over to him.

"Hey, Pea-"

"Dad!" I shouted, interrupting him, and throwing my arms around him. I hadn't seen him for almost a year; he had been going around to all the other planets and helping with troubles over there.

When I finally pulled away, my dad held out a fan of small pieces of paper. When I took one, I nearly gasped. They were tickets. Tickets to a Muse concert.

I looked up at my dad.

"Take all of them,"

"Really?"

"I'm sure you've made friends by now." The way he said it made it seem like he had more up his sleeve.

I spent the rest of the day with Zelda, Marth, Daisy, Rosalina, and everyone else. I turned out that I had fifteen tickets, so I could give them out to whoever I wanted. That meant Mario, too…

Suddenly, there was a loud 'boom', and all of us turned our heads. There, walking toward the castle, was a purple dragon with golden wings. I didn't recognize him, and sitting up and looking at everyone else, I realized they had no idea who this was either. The dragon wasn't particularly large; only just big enough for me to ride on his back. I guessed he was male, the way he carried himself and his way of walking.

Soon after, two more dragons appeared, and followed the other dragon. They both appeared female, one ice blue with feathery wings and a horn like a unicorn, and long ears. The other looked a lot like the first, but this one was a deeper shade of purple and had silver instead of gold.

Marth and I stood up, and soon the rest of them followed suit. We all walked to the castle coming in soon after the three dragons. My mother greeted them as old friends, and looked up as we walked in. The dragons did too.

"Peach, dear, these are friends of mine, and I want you to meet them."

She gestured elegantly to the first dragon we saw, the purple and gold one.

"This is Spyro, the Skylander. He and two of his friends came from their world for your birthday to give you something vital."

She gestured to the blue dragon.

"This is Whirlwind, and she speaks an entirely different language from us, and Cynder-" she started, pointing to the last one.

"Is willing to translate. I'll leave Spyro to it, so have fun!" At that, she left.

I still wasn't sure I could trust them.

"Well," Spyro started. I noticed his voice was more of a deeper version then Marth's.

Spyro approached us, and gave a small bow.

"Greetings, princess. We three came to give you all something no one else but someone in the far future will be able to gain. We are about to give you Skylander forms, but before we do that, we need a space that has plenty of room, and then we need to explain what will happen."

He seemed kind of nervous about this, and looking back, I noticed Zelda wasn't at all fazed at 'Skylander'.

"Ohhh, I know the perfect spot!" she said, and then started walking to the garden. Spyro, Marth, and I exchanged glances. Cynder and Whirlwind sighed. Finally, we started walking to the garden.

Spyro walked to one end, and gestured for me to stand in front of him with his tail. I obeyed, and he looked me straight in the eye.

"Princess, Skylander forms are stronger than human forms, and once you adapt, you will be able to transform whenever you want. Before I do this, I have to explain what a 'Skylander' is.

"A Skylander is a creature from a certain Skyland, in which they protect 'The Core Of Light'. It was predicted in one of our prophecies that The Core Of Light will be destroyed one day, and only you and your friends can help.

"We need to give you a Skylander form in order to help us, since as humans, you would not survive in the Skylands, so that's why we are here." Spyro concluded.

I nodded.

"So," Cynder said behind me. "What kind of creature do you want to become?"

I looked back at her.

"W-what do you mean?" I asked.

"I mean, you have a choice on what you look like." She said.

I looked back at Spyro, who nodded.

"Ah….A dragon, I guess?" I decided, still not fully clear on what Cynder meant.

"A dragon it is, then." Spyro said, and brought his right fore-claw into the air, and it glowed. Soon, the strange white light spread throughout his whole body, and then I glowed too. I felt the strange sensation of rising off the ground and slightly into the air, and the moment I landed, I fell into a tangle of myself, unsure how to stand. I was dizzy, I was feeling strange, and unlike everyone else. I couldn't understand anything, except for the fact that Spyro was smiling.

"I-it worked…" he said, although I could hardly hear his words, feeling a faint as I was.

I tried to stand up again, but fell, and soon after that, two clawed hands latched onto what I guessed were my arms, and forced me to a stand. Looking down, I started, realizing that instead of hands, I had clawed hands as well as the person behind me, who happened to be Whirlwind. I was a dragon.

Whirlwind said something that sounded a lot like gibberish, and Cynder spoke to translate.

"How do you feel?"

I tried to speak, but I had to get used to my new jaw first. It took a bit, but then I could speak.

"Different."

Whirlwind made a sound that seemed like a laugh, and spoke again.

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it. Spyro hasn't ever done this before, and he has yet to make the transformation more comfortable." Cynder spoke again.

Whirlwind held up a mirror, and I saw my true form now.

I was a sky-blue color now, with darker blue stripes that lined my left side horizontally. I had a royal blue heart that outlined my right eye, and looking at my feet, I noticed I was four-legged like Spyro and Whirlwind. Cynder was mostly two-legged.

My eyes were the same color, and the spines down my back the same darker blue. My tail had a fading, hazy blue design with the tip flaring out into three spikes. My wings were light blue, the same as the rest of my body, but the inside was a deep, shining blue that looked like water. The two light blue horns on my head looked really sharp.

Spyro soon repeated the process with everyone else, while Cynder explained what their types were. Apparently, Skylander's had elements, and according to their element, they had certain powers. There was Magic, Tech, Air, Fire, Earth, Water, Life, and Undead. I had the Air element like Whirlwind.

Marth had a Life element, and he looked a lot like Cynder, just blue and silver. Link was an Earth element, and he looked like Spyro and Whirlwind mixed but green. Zelda had a magic element, and looked just like Whirlwind, but purple. Daisy was an Earth element, and was yellow in color. Rosalina was a deep blue, and was a Magic element like Zelda.

All I could say was "Wow."

**Well, then, horrid ending yet again, but at least it was longer! Luigisgirlfriend, I'll put you in the next chapter, and the story will continue. I'll have our five friends take a trip to the MK in the chapter after next…**

**~Fezzes64**


	12. Chapter 11: Surprise, surprise!

Chapter 11: Surprise, surprise!

"Buon giorno, Principessa!" I said cheerfully.

"Hey, Mario!" Said Ashley merrily, blushing.

"Hello." Daisy and Rosalina replied at the same time.

"Hi!" Zelda seemed happy.

"Good morning!" Marth and Link appeared ecstatic for some reason.

All of us, Madz, Billy, Nathan, Luigi, Lexia, Ice, Ashley's group, and I started walking to our Athletics period to prepare for the upcoming Track Meet.

"So…Are we ready to win the meet?" I asked, breaking the silence.

"I am."

"Sure."

"I guess."

"You've no idea."

I smirked. I was ready to run at the moment, my muscle tensing and adding a small bounce to my step. Ashley seemed the same way, and I noticed that she seemed calmer than usual, and she had a certain beat to her gait that suggested that she was extremely happy.

Luigi looked bored.

"Mario, what was that assignment Mrs. Williams-"

"LUIGIIIIIIIII! Get back here!" shouted a familiar voice.

Luigi turned in horror only to get tackled by a girl with chocolate-brown hair and bright emerald-green eyes.

"S-S-Samantha! W-What are you d-doing!"

"LUIGI! I thought I told you to walk me to first period!"

"I-I-I don't know-"

"Athletics, doofus!"

"R-right….."

Madz just laughed.

"Samantha, you should at least give him a little slack,"

"But he's my doggie!"

I shook my head with amusement and wished my brother luck as Samantha began dragging him ahead of us.

Madz sighed.

"Samantha loves to pick on Luigi," she explained to Ashley. "She dared him to dress up as a cheerleader…"

Ashley couldn't help but laugh at that.

Suddenly, I remembered I had to do something, and, explaining that I had to go to my locker, I ran off.

Sprinting at full speed, I skidded into the next hall and took off, nearly slamming into the wall. I had to beat Ashley. I found her locker around the corner from my own, and quickly went up to it. Fishing inside my backpack, I found what I was looking for and slipped it inside. Luckily, the item was just small enough to fit.

Then I heard footsteps.

I swiftly swung around and dashed to my locker, just starting to turn the combination in when Logan appeared around the other hall. I didn't get to see where he was going, since Marth, on the other side, called my name.

"Mario! You're about to be late! C'mon!"

He was right; I had five minutes to get on the other side of the school and get dressed.

"Oh, right. Ci dispiace, Marth."

"What?"

"That means 'Sorry, Marth'."

Both of us took off down the halls avoiding teachers and other kids until we reached the door. Marth tore it open and held it for me, and both of us hastily ran inside.

On the track, Coach Lewis was already putting some boys in lanes, and Coach Willow, in the center of the field, was directing certain girls to join Coach Lewis. I spotted Madz, Samantha, Lexia, and Ice all headed toward us.

"Mario!" Lexia shouted.

"Yes?"

"We need to practice for the 'Lion's War' show."

"Oh. Right. Yes, I knew that."

"Girls! On the track!" Shouted Coach Lewis.

"Yes, Coach," Madz said, giving a small salute.

"Yes sir," Lexia mumbled.

"Wha-Oh, yeah." Ice said.

"Okay." Samantha said reluctantly.

I nodded to them, and found Ashley, who was stretching to get ready to run.

"Hey, Ash?"

"Uh…Oh, Mario! Coach said 'You need to watch me run today'."

"Um…Okay…?"

"So…"

"We need to practice for LRS."

"For what?"

"'Lion's Roar' Show."

Ashley nodded and stood up.

"Coach wanted you to time me on 400's."

"Okay."

Ashley went up to the starting line, and I got the timer set.

"Ready…GO!" I shouted, and Ashley immediately took off, sprinting at full speed.

Suddenly, I was hypnotized, the way she ran was like a gazelle, and she had perfect stride. She rounded the first curve of the track without a problem, and then slowed down her pace ever so slightly to go down the straight part. I liked the way her hair flew behind her in her low pony-tail, and the way she seemed like this was effortless just added to her elegance in her running.

"So. Now you know why I want her to run with the boys?" Coach Lewis asked behind me, snapping me away from the moment.

"U-uh…Yes, sir…" I mumbled, startled.

At that moment, Ashley crossed the finish line after her single lap, and she had an astounding time of 1:13. I stared at the watch like there was something wrong with it until Coach Lewis led me to the starting line.

"Your turn." He said simply.

Later, in third period, where Madz and Ashley along with Daisy, Marth, Billy, Lexia and Nathan were, we had finished our three-page essay while the rest of the class had not, and we all sat at one big table and talked quietly. I couldn't help but notice Ashley seemed slightly flustered.

"Hey, did anyone put these in my locker?" she asked, revealing the small bag that I had slipped in there earlier and another smaller box.

I shook my head.

"I didn't know it was your birthday," I said, playing dumb.

"Uh…Mario?" Ashley asked.

"Yes?"

"I didn't say anything about it being my birthday…"

"Uhhh…It says 'Happy Birthday' on the label…?" I said, holding my breath.

Billy frowned at me.

"Mario, do you have 20-20 vision, or something?"

I blinked, and saw how small the label was, and just shrugged.

Marth seemed to know that I had lied, and spoke up.

"I'm certain Mario didn't know it was your birthday. And I doubt it was Link-I mean Lenny, or Zelda…"

I nodded at him, grateful.

"Guys, the 'Lion's Roar' show?" Lexia recommended.

"Oh, yeah."

"We can all practice at my house," I suggested, looking up at Ashley, Daisy, and Marth, who had doubtful expressions.

"Perhaps, but we have to ask our parents." Marth said.

"And it has to be okay with your family," Ashley added.

"True, that," I said. "I have Ice, Zelda, Lenny, Luigi, and Samantha next period, so I can tell them."

Just as the bell rang, emitting a groan from those who didn't finish the essay, Ashley said "Wait!"

We all froze and looked at her.

"I-I…For my birthday, my father gave me tickets to a Muse concert, and enough for everyone." She began handing out the tickets, and when she gave the last one to me, she smiled.

"Thank you, Ashley," I said, still surprised she would give me this.

She gave a shy smile again, and after we all left, I was still thinking about her. I hoped she liked what I had gotten her, and I had suspicions about whoever else gave her a gift for her birthday. Marth caught up with me, and seemed like he was about to burst with excitement.

"Mario, I think I know who gave her the other present!"

"Who? Who?"

"I think it was _Logan_!"

**Greetings, readers! I know it's been a while, and now this chapter's up…But ANYway, if you have a question about the name of a certain character, I can tell you some trivia about why they are named that way, such as Nathan, Madz, Mr. Schober, Mrs. Alexander, Logan, Andy, and Jacob. Well, until next time!**

**~Fezzes64**


	13. Chapter 12: National Issues

Chapter 12: National Issues

"Madz? Hey, Madz!" I called to my friend, who was sitting with two unfamiliar boys and Billy.

One of the boys, with shorter, dark brown hair and darker eyes jumped as I called out, and the one with longer brown hair and pale green eyes looked up from the desk in surprise. It was free period after lunch, and I needed to talk to Madz now, and at my call, she stood up and walked over to me with a small smile, as if she'd been laughing.

"What's so funny?" I asked curiously, before I got to my point.

"I-inside joke." She replied, giggling.

"Okay, anyway, what do you make of these?" I inquired, showing her a light-blue sapphire brooch and a small, elegant metal stop watch.

Madz looked at them curiously for a second before snapping her fingers.

"Someone likes you." She said with a Oh-so-casual smirk, then chuckled at her own joke. I looked at her, frowning, and confused. Madz seemed to love to make jokes today…It was kind of unfortunate I didn't get many modern American jokes.

"That song called 'Someone Like You'? I was referring to that. But I'm serious. I think someone has a fancy for you." She explained, making gestures with her hands. When she'd done that in the past, she said she had a little Italian blood…whatever that meant.

"Oh. But what if these came from two different people?" I took the gifts back and tilted my head slightly, returning both items to my bag as she responded. Madz gasped in a way that suggested what she called a 'French attitude'. Again, whatever that meant.

"No way! That is so awesome! Almost awesomer than Prussia! Only the second week of school and your already popular among the boys!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms out as if expecting a hug.

"You aren't?" I inquired.

"Pffft, no, I only hang out with Shy Guys…Except for Mario. C'mon, you should meet these guys, Ashley." Madz said, dragging me over to her table and sitting me down. I stiffened at 'Shy Guys'. Sitting down, the two boys I didn't know shifted uncomfortably, and Billy smiled slightly in acknowledgement.

"Hey." He said.

"Hey." I replied, a small smile teasing my mouth.

The one boy with dark eyes sat up slightly, revealing his black T-shirt, which had a Yin-yang with fire and ice instead of black and white. I realized all of them wore a black T-shirt with something on it, like the boy with longer brown hair wore a shirt with a Red dragon, and Madz's shirt had '_Phobos and Deimos_' on it, and Billy's shirt had a strange green 'L' on his shirt. I also noticed Madz wore her normal red hoodie, Billy wore a light blue one, the boy with dark eyes wore a navy blue one, and the boy with green eyes wore a rust-colored one.

"Ashley, you know Billy, right?" Madz asked me, gesturing gently to him. I nodded to him, smiling, as he returned it. "This is Gryphon," Madz explained, gesturing elegantly to the boy with longer brown hair and green eyes.

"Hi, Gryphon," I said shyly.

Giving a somewhat awkward smile, he nodded to me and offered his hand, and shaking it, I smiled back. Gryphon was slightly pale, not like he was sick, but more like he was inside most of the time. He leaned casually over the desk as we both pulled our hands away and seemed slightly more confident as all of us lost the overall 'newness' of the situation.

"-And this is Brian." Madz finished, signaling to the other brunette boy. Seriously, most of the people here had brown hair. I'd only met three people on Earth who had blonde hair, and I've only glanced at red hair. One Brian's blue hoodie sleeves was rolled up over his elbows as if he'd forgotten to roll up the other one, and he blushed slightly as I offered my hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." He said softly.

I realized something, and feeling on my pocket, I smile again. Pulling out two of the last Muse concert tickets, I slid them across the desk towards Brian and Gryphon, who peered at them curiously.

"I have three left," I explained. "It'll be about a month from now, and you guys are good friends of Madz, right? Take them."

"Okay, thanks," Gryphon said slowly, as if he was unsure about accepting such a gift.

Brian gave a meek smile. "Thank you."

"Anytime." I replied.

Just then, the bell rang, and we all stood up simultaneously. Madz and I had the last class, Orchestra, together, and I was surprised to find that both Brian and Gryphon did too. So we all said farewell to Billy, who was going to English. When the bell rang, we all arrived in Orchestra, I took front row with my newly acquainted friends.

As we tuned our instruments, Mr. Powell passed out the parts for a quartet, and what was so funny about it was that Brian played Violin, and Gryphon played Bass in the back with Lexia. We all split into groups of four with Mr. Powell's instructions. It was mainly the Violins and the Cellos who selected groups, and Mario, one of the best Cellists, selected me, Brian, and Gryphon. Nikki, who I hadn't seen since last week, selected Magi, Madz, and Lexia.

After all the groups were selected, we began to play assorted songs until the bell rang, enjoying our sound and just having a fun time. Who knew one could have such good friends simply by calling for another? I found this fascinating. Life on Earth just seemed so…different from my Kingdom. Maybe one day I'd find the time to live here, and perhaps get to learn more about humans. Being the alien here, I honestly had no idea how in the Universe these particular people acted, so…Finally, I found my friends again, and we all chatted for a bit before walking towards the forest once again, and even then I was a bit on the edgy side after what had happened at the picnic. Stars, Earth can be scary too if you put your mind to it.

"So, Peach, what did you say you found in your locker?" Marth asked curiously.

"Mmm? Oh." I pulled out a small bag that held the brooch and the stopwatch. "Just, um…Well, I'm not sure what it means, but there was a blue brooch and some metal stopwatch. They're both very nice, though."

Marth examined both, gazing with a mild interest at both. "And this came in the bag, so that one…" he started to muse softly to himself, extremely curious apparently as he turned the elegantly decorated stopwatch over on its backside in his hand. Zelda just rolled her eyes at him.

"Marth, what are you doing?"

"Oh, uh…I was just trying to figure out who gave these to her. I find it suspicious they were both given to her anonymously." He stated, as if evaluating if his words were truthful. "I spoke with Mario after she received them and we will try to find who gave them to her.

The way he said that implied he already knew.

"Eh, who cares? She has artifacts from Earth now. At Hyrule, that would probably be worth a lot of Rupees, since it's an element from a different planet entirely." Link said, rolling his shoulders and throwing his head back to look upward at the trees, breathing deeply. "Wait…Something's coming."

"What is it?" Daisy asked, looking from side to side as if checking for spies.

"I sense it too." Zelda said. "It doesn't seem a threat, but I suggest we hurry."

We all began speed-walking towards the pipe that was now in sight, and we arrived quickly. Link went in last, peering accusingly around the area before jumping in. We all landed gracefully as we usually did, still walking forward with our friendly stride, before Daisy spoke. "Hey, didn't Spyro say we should practice remaining in our Skylander form while we're not on Earth?"

"Oh, yes. That is what he told us would be wise." Rosalina said.

All of us took a moment to relax, then let ourselves think of Dragons and flying and mystical creatures, and-

There was a big white flash and a scream, and even though Marth, Zelda, and Daisy were already dragons, Link, Rosalina and I all stopped to see a person fall from the sky at least sixty mushroom-lengths in the air. He screamed the entire way down, and Marth rushed forward, being a dragon, to catch him before he hit the ground.

"AHHHHPLEASEDON'TSHOOTMEI'MAVIRGINANDIDON'TWANTTODIEANDWHATIFIDON'TDIEBUTI'MMORTALLYWOUNDEDANDFORCEDTOL IEINAPOOLOFMYOWNBLOOD?!PLEASEI'LLDOANYTHING-WELLWITHINREASON-IDON'TWANTTODIIIIIIIIIEEEEE!" the boy screamed, flailing on top of Marth and literally crying his eyes out. And I didn't understand a word he said.

"Uh…Excuse me, who are you?" I asked slowly.

The boy stopped floundering and looked at me, and I realized how terrified he was. He had really pretty auburn hair with a little curl sticking up, and bright amber eyes that were filled to the brim with tears. His entire body quivered in a strange Blue Military uniform, and he wore brown boots that came just below his knees. It was kind of obvious he was about our age, so what was with his behavior? Well, I'd probably do the same thing if I dropped on a strange dragon, but this was a boy!

"U-uh…_C-ciao_, m-my name is-"

He was cut off by another flash, and two more boys were seen falling from the sky, and both landed on the first one. The first was really tall and blonde with piercing blue eyes and in a Green Military uniform, and the other was shorter than the first, with black hair and stoic eyes, wearing a White Military uniform with gold trim.

"Ow, vhat ze heck vas zat?! Vhere did Italy go?!"

"Um…Germany, we're on top of Itary…Where are we…? Rots of strange peopre…and Dragons…I hope we're not in China."

"Vhat Japan…?" the taller asked, glancing with confusion with the other.

I blinked in surprise as the newer two stared at all of us, not really noticing the first boy as he was crushed under the others' weight. The taller one glanced at me last, noticing the crown and all.

"Excuse me, you've just landed on your friend…And ours…" I muttered sheepishly, looking at Marth-dragon who was crushed under all three of them with his tongue sticking out comically. He groaned slightly in acknowledgement to my comment and flicked his tail in annoyance. Immediately, the taller boy scrambled off Marth, revealing his supposed other friend too, and he cried out in surprise.

"Italy! Vhat are you doing?" the blonde peer exclaimed as the stoic boy slowly slid off both Marth and the first boy.

"_Hai_, I thought we were arr together, not separate. Werr…At reast that's what I _thought_." Said the stoic boy, rubbing his chin.

I meekly tried to call for attention, but the tall boy started to yell at the first boy, who was trying to hide behind a very crushed Marth. Link creased his brows, thinking of a way out of this situation, and Rosalina appeared calm, oddly enough. She had a strangely amused expression on her face, with her hands folded neatly in front of her, clutching her wand loosely. Biting my lip, I turned my attention to the really loud one and swallowed nervously. He seemed very mean, and I didn't want him to yell at me too.

"Nations." Rosalina said calmly.

All three of the boys turned simultaneously to her, frozen in place as if in shock. Rosalina just sighed and rolled her eyes as they all stared at her with pondering expressions and concentrated thoughts.

"Germany, don't yell at Italy; you know he's just freaked out since you and Japan landed on him. And the dragons, you know he doesn't like dragons. Italy, it's alright, it's just me, remember? Rosalina? Anyway, Germany, Japan, you are all in the Mushroom Kingdom. Where are the Allies? I thought they were coming as well." She said.

Link, Marth, Daisy, Zelda, and I all stared at her in shock as the people she called 'Nations' processed what she said. There was a small moment of silence as everyone stared at one another, a very uneasy minute that seemed to last an hour.

"Ze Allies said zey vere coming five minutes after ve arrived…How come you guys look like dragons?" the tall blonde asked.

"Spyro arrived before you guys." Rosalina replied smoothly, not missing a beat.

"…Ah." The one called Germany didn't appear to understand.

"Er…Excuse me, would you mind introducing yourselves?" I chimed nervously, raising a finger to attract attention, which worked when it normally didn't.

"Er…_Ja_…My name is Germany, und zese are my allies, Italy and Japan. Ve are ze nations of Alternate Earth, or ze place vhere ze nations of Earth are represented by people. Ve are known formally as ze Axis Powers."

"Umm…okay. I'm not familiar with Earth, but I can vaguely understand." I admitted, nodding in approval as Japan helped Italy stand up off of Marth, who grunted in annoyance and sauntered over to me. Axis Powers…From World War II? That was truly fascinating. I was standing in front of three of the most well-known nations in all of Europe!

"I guess we'd better change back?" Marth muttered to me.

"I suppose that would be wise." I replied, equally softly as Marth, Zelda and Daisy became human again in a flash of smoke, making Italy shriek and hug Germany in fear. Zelda, Daisy, Link, Marth and I all just stared in shock as more yelling ensued.

"Italy, you_ dummkopf_! Get off of me!"

"G-Germany-san…Itary-chan…I think you should just ret him calm down. He is scared." Japan pointed out softly, taking an awkward step towards the other nations.

"Und? He shouldn't be so scared."

"Guys." I said.

"I too am scared, Germany. We just dropped in on another garaxy." Japan sighed deeply and uncomfortably patted Italy's back, as the boy was crying his eyes out.

"So vhat? Ve're soldiers!" Germany protested, trying to push Italy off of him with no avail.

"Guys…" I repeated louder.

Marth dusted himself off and stood up, and pushed his cape back over his head since it'd fallen in his face and cast a glance at me and the others as we all watched the argument between the three boys unfold, mostly consisting of yelling and pushing Italy. Finally, I took a deep breath and rolled my eyes, taking a step forward and balling my hands into fists. However, before I could do anything, five other flashes in the sky and screaming shut everyone up as five- more nations I guessed- landed on top of Germany and Japan, leaving Italy to scramble away and suddenly throw his arms around me, sobbing uncontrollably. Hugging him back since he was obviously upset, I heard a British accented man yell at another who was laughing maniacally in an obvious American voice, then Germany yell 'Russia!' as one boy wearing a scarf landed on him, then some more laughing that sounded oddly like 'Ah hon hon hon hon~!'. Finally, a sharp voice with an accent I didn't recognize yelled with a girl's voice, something about being 'Mature'…I couldn't understand as dust flew up everywhere, making everything suddenly enigmatic. Finally, I couldn't stand it.

"GUYS!" I screamed, making sure Italy stayed away from the out bursting nations.

Everything stopped, and it seemed as if in slow motion as the dust settled revealing five more men, whom of which were strangling Germany while Japan froze, holding up a hand. Trapped under the others' weight, Germany just growled and struggled a bit before listening to me as well. I noticed the tall boy with the American accent was still grinning maniacally as the British one elbowed him in the ribs. The one with long blonde hair laughed weirdly again as the unfamiliar girl-sounding boy stared with disconcerting attention at me.

"Hello, nations, you are now in The Mushroom Kingdom." I said with as much sarcasm as I could muster. "I certainly hope World Meetings do not adjourn like this, and I sincerely hope you could at least get your act together for one minute." Once everyone was listening, I began to speak again.

"We are going back to my castle so my mother can get you all in order- and for the Universe's sake, _get off_ of Germany! Seriously, it's like you're at war!"

"Er…Actually…" the one with messy blonde hair and vivid blue eyes and the American accent rubbed the back of his head.

"Git! The British blonde-with surprisingly gentle emerald eyes- said, glaring at him. Turning to me, he said "In our time-period, World War Two ended yesterday."

"Mmm." I nodded in understanding, remembering what Rosalina had taught me about human history and this war in particular. "And you still decide to act like complete adolescents and pick on Germany. At least he surrendered honorably and fought well, unlike you Allies. Britain and Germany are the only sane ones here if you ask me." I sniffed and crossed my arms.

Germany cast a thankful glance at me and stood, shaking the American off as well as the long-blonde haired one and held out a hand to help Britain up, who accepted gratefully. When both men stood, they walked over to me and bowed their heads on apology, gazing guiltily at the ground.

"Forgive me, princess, I was just startled by this new place and lost my temper when I couldn't understand anything." Germany said without falter, saluting swiftly and letting his hands fall to his sides, staring unblinking with his piercing eyes at me.

"And I as well, I lost myself in the excitement when I should have broken up the melee. In all due respect, I hope we can manage to behave ourselves for once in this galaxy." Britain nodded apologetically and bit his lip, awaiting my response.

I found it fun to increase the anxiety, so I heightened the suspense by waiting a minute before speaking.

"Germany…Your apology to me is accepted…But…I believe you owe one to Italy as well. Britain, I trust you and Germany to keep order with your national issues."

"Yes, ma'am." Both boys responded immediately.

So, I led the nations down the familiar dirt path to the castle, Germany making sure Italy was alright, Britain following behind me as if to be ready to fight if anything decided to attack me out of nowhere. I'd have to learn more about these nations- they were truly fascinating, the way they corresponded to one another. I also hoped Italy could find forgiveness with Germany; they looked kind of cute together- however wrong that might sound. I guessed Germany might have been Italy's only friend, or vice-versa. I wondered what world would visit me next as the Seventh Generation of the Princess line decided to follow her destiny.

* * *

**I'M NOT DEAD YET! :DDDDDDDDD After a temporary hold due to personal issues ^^' Well...My love for Hetalia is now in the Mario-verse! :D Thanks for reading!**

**~Fezzes64**


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